As Dappy heard he had been spared jail he offered a prayer gesture, said thank you, put his hands up in the air and then bowed his head on the desk in front of him.

Judge Neil Stewart said he had made the decision because he believed the incidents were "a manifestation of the difficulties" outlined - most importantly the profound effect his father's death had on him.

He also spoke of how he has been benefiting from therapy and should continue to do so to gain control of his stress and anger.

His curfew will be electronically monitored and he will also be required to pay a fine of £800, £800 in compensation to Devonn Reid and £1200 court costs.

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Former N-Dubz singer Dappy has been spared jailed today after he carried out a nightclub attack while serving a suspended sentence for a petrol station brawl.

Judge Neil Stewart gave him a two-month sentence suspended for 12 months and a four-month curfew between 10pm and 5am.

Dappy arrived in court shielded by a blue umbrella. Credit: PA

The 27-year-old, who was tried under his real name Costadinos Contostavlos, was found guilty in September of punching a man on the dancefloor of the Evissa nightclub in Reading, Berkshire.

Reading Magistrates' Court heard that the fight broke out in the early hours of October 6 last year because Contostavlos, from Hatfield in Hertfordshire, began chatting to a man's girlfriend and female friend, and the singer punched the man after he told him not to talk to the women.

This took place while he was serving a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months for affray and assault at a petrol station in Guildford, Surrey, in February 2012.

He owes a large amount to HMRC and his house is currently up for sale to try to settle that debt.

He says Dappy is "staring down the precipice of financial ruin" and is very concerned he would be unable to provide for his two children if he was sent to prison.

The barrister says Dappy is trying to improve himself - he has now stopped associating with people who can aggravate situations, and attempted to stop attending nightclubs, unless it is in a professional capacity.

And the barrister says Dappy would "actively welcome" the imposition of a curfew keeping him indoors in the late evening and early morning, to prevent similar incidents - and Dappy deliberately nods in agreement with this.

When his barrister argues against a prison sentence, Dappy makes a very deliberate prayer gesture towards the judge.